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St. Louis Park canoeist found dead in Boundary Waters

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Published  May 11, 2025 7:51pm CDT
Minnesota
FOX 9

The Brief

    • The body of a 62-year-old man was recovered from Iron Lake in the Boundary Waters in far northern Minnesota over the weekend.
    • The man was found near a capsized canoe spotted by a U.S. Forest Service worker.
    • The victim was identified as a St. Louis Park man.

(FOX 9) - The body of a St. Louis Park, Minn. man was recovered from Iron Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area after a U.S. Forest Service worker spotted a capsized canoe over the weekend.

Canoeist missing

What we know:

Around 2:17 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, U.S. Forest Service employees reported finding a capsized canoe on Iron Lake. The lake is in one of the most remote parts of northern Minnesota, just miles from the Canadian border.

A short time later, Forest Service workers found the victim and their gear floating near the canoe.

The backstory:

The victim was identified by authorities on Sunday as 62-year-old Robert Sydney James of St. Louis Park. Deputies say it appears James was on a solo trip to the Boundary Waters when he died. Authorities say he was wearing a life jacket when his body was found.

What we don't know:

The exact circumstances of James' death are not known. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the incident.

MinnesotaWild Nature